ENG v WI, 2nd Test, Day 3 Review: West Indies hold the edge but the hosts refuse to give up

The second Test between England and West Indies at Headingley is turning out to be a tantalizing encounter, which will go all the way to the fifth day. A spectacular rendition from Shai Hope and Kraigg Brathwaite on Day 2 helped them gain a first innings lead and the bowlers have managed to pick three crucial wickets before the hosts condensed the deficit. Skipper Joe Root is still battling hard and as long as he’s in the middle, England are very much in the game.

James Anderson‘s ball did the talking in the first session, with the spearhead ripping past their middle order. The first to go was the centurion from Day 2, Shai Hope, who walked back to the galleery without adding a run on day 3. The very next ball, Shane Dowrich was welcomed with an unplayable, trade mark Anderson delivery and he nicked it straight to slips.

Anderson completed a five-fer and he is now three scalps away from becoming the first English cricketer and sixth overall to pick up 500 Test wickets. Jermaine Blackwood and Jason Holder played some attacking cricket and kept clobbering boundaries at regular intervals. The duo added a fifty run stand in no time and extended the lead well over 100.

Holder tried to clear the mid-off fielder but ended up giving an easy catch to Moeen Ali. In the next over, Blackwood and Kemar Roach attempted an audacious third run after completing two, but Ben Stokes did a fantastic job to inflict a run out. Shannon Gabriel tried his luck with the bat, hitting one big six and soon he gifted his wicket to Stokes, which meant West Indies finished at 427 and took a 169 run first innings lead.

Joe Root and Mark Stoneman keep England alive in the game

Alastair Cook was off to a typical start, taking absolutely no risks. Mark Stoneman (52 off 124 balls) was desperate for runs and he too was off to a cautious start. The duo kept ticking singles around and added a fifty run opening stand. Barring a couple of boundaries, Cook was completely into a defensive mode and so was his partner.

Cook’s resilience didn’t last long as skipper Jason Holder provided a much needed breakthrough for his side in the 22nd over. Tom Westley, who has been struggling ever since he entered the side, had yet another poor outing as Holder picked his second wicket in the innings in no time.

Stoneman though, got to his fifty with tickle towards fine-leg for a boundary. It was a much needed half-century for the 30-year-old as he aims to be a part of the English squad that travels to Australia for the Ashes. But the euphoria of the half-century lasted a very short while as Shannon Gabriel knocked over his stumps and reduced England to 94/3.

Windies then grassed a gloden opportunity to get rid of Joe Root, who is scoring runs for fun these days in white jersey. A simple catch at gully went down as Kyle Hope received a killer glare from Kemar Roach. As he always does, Root capitalized on the chance he got and started building a partnership with Dawid Malan.

The English skipper’s innings was all about class and timing, having secured 9 boundaries out of the 45 runs he managed to score. Malan looked solid with his defensive approach and is providing good support to the 26-year-old. England just about managed to take a second innings lead and finished day 3 at 171/3. The match pretty much hangs in balance, with the visitors holding the edge as early wickets on day 4 will definitely seal the deal.

Brief Scores

1st Innings

England: 258 all out in 70.5 overs(Ben Stokes 100, Joe Root 59; Kemar Roach 4/71, Shannon Gabriel 4/51)

West Indies: 427 all out in 127 overs(Kraigg Brathwaite 134, Shai Hope 147; James Anderson 5/76)

2nd innings

England: 171/3 in 59 overs (Joe Root 45*, Mark Stoneman 52; Jason Holder 2/44)